Automatic musical instrument.



E. R. HUNTER.

AUTOMAT|CMUSTCAL INSTRUMENT. APPLlcAloN FILED Nv.2.1914.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.A

ERNEST R. HUNTER, OF RIVERSIDE, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed November 2, 1914.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST R. HUNTER, acitizen of the United States, residing in Riverside, Fairfield county,State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forminga part hereof.

rllhis invention relates particularly to the means for supporting andoperating, in a piano player, the music sheet by which the operation ofthe player is controlled and the tracker bar with which such music sheetcooperates. In another application, filed concurrently herewith, here isset forth an improvement in perforated music sheets the purpose of whichis to enable the performer to read intelligently7 and in accordance withthe principles of ordinary notation,the perforated music sheet as itpasses over the tracker bar. Such improved music sheet is designed totravel in a substantially horizontal direction, from right to left, sothat the music thereon may be read as it is reproduced, and theperforations are also so arranged therein as to permit the employment ofa tracker bar of less than the ordinary length. The present inventionhas for its object to provide suitable means for the support andmovement of such improved music sheet and an improved tracker bar forcoperation therewith. The invention will be more fully explainedhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which asuitable embodiment thereof is illustrated and in which- Figure i is aview in front elevation showing the improved tracker bar and so much ofthe means for supporting and moving the music sheet as is necessary toenable the invention to be understood.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view partly in section of a player piano towhich the invention is applied.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showinga portion of the tracker bar and a musicsheet.

The perforated music sheet a, as already stated and as fully set forthin the application referred to, has the perforations formed therein insuccession from left to right and arranged in the same relation whichthe notes represented bear to each other and to the lines and spaces ofthe musical stati', with the perforations for the accidentals displacedslightly to the right with reference Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Serial No. 869,779.

to the naturals which correspond therewith in point of time. Thisformation of the music sheet makes it necessary for the same to travelfrom right to left if the music" thereon is to be read as it isreproduced, rather than in a substantially vertical direction as atpresent, and therefore requires reconstruction of the tracker box,particularly with respect to the means for supporting and moving themusic sheet and the tracker bar, as will be described.

The piano to which the invention may be pplied, may have in its frontcasing Z), the usual opening c through which the music sheet may beapplied, removed and viewed, and may be provided also with a tracker boxor frame (Z substantially of usual construction, except as hereinafterindicated. The tracker bar e, instead of being placed as usual in ahorizontal position, is placed in a vertical plane, and it has the portse and e2 formed therein in two vertical series, offset from each otherin different vertical lines, the perforations e which correspond to thenaturals of the key-board being` in one line, while the perforations e2,which correspond to the accidentals of the keyboard, are offset inanother line, preferably to the right. This permits the ports for theaccidenta-ls to be staggered with reference to the ports for thenaturals and therefore a given number of ports, both naturals andaccidentals, to be formed in a tracker bar of much less length thanwould be necessary if all of the ports, both naturals and accidentals,were formed in a single line or series. rllhis reduction in length ofthe tracker bar of course permits a corresponding reduction in width ofthe music sheet a, with all the obvious advantages of reduction in costof stock, of reduction in expansion and contraction with changes inatmospheric conditions, of reduction in liability of failure to trackproperly, and in increase of convenience in operation and handling. Theports of the tracker bar may be connected as usual by tubes f with theplayer pneumatics of the piano, the bank of which is indicated generallvat f.

The spool or roll g upon which the perforated music sheet is supplied,may be formed in every respect as usual except f or its reduced length,and is supported with its axis in a substantially vertical plane, by abearing g of ordinary construction at its lower end and by a driving hubg2 at its upper end, the latter being driven from the motor through anysuitable gearing, such as is indicated by the crown gearing h, pinion72,', shaft h2, sprocket 72,3 and chain h4, from the driving sprocketh5. The winding-on roll z' is also supported with its axis in asubstantially vertical plane by bearings z" and 2 of usual construction,and may be driven from the motor by any suitable arrangement of gearingsuch as the crown gear 7L, pinion It? and shaft its, and the drivingclutch ILS, the latter being under the control of the usual shiftingmechanism represented by the lever 7s.

It will now be seen that when the music box roll g is placed in positionin the tracker boX, the end of the music sheet a hooked to theWinding-on roll e', and the winding roll Connected operatively to themotor, the music sheet will travel from right toA left before theperformer so that the musical notation expressed by the perforations ofthe music sheet may be read intelligently by the performer.

It will be understood, of course, that changes may be made in thedetails of con` struction and operation as may be deemed desirable bydifferent manufacturers or'for different pianos and that the inventionis not limited to the precise construction shown and described herein.It will also be understood that the improved tracker boX may bemanufactured and sold as an article of manufacture, ready forinstallation in player pianos, as well as embodied in the constructionof new player pianos.

I claim as my invention 1. A tracker bar having the ports whichcorrespond to the naturals of the key-board arm nged in one line and theother ports arranged in another line, the ports of the two lines beingrelatively staggered.

2. A tracker box for automatic musical instruments having a tracker barin a substantially vertical plane, said tracker bar having the portswhich correspond to the naturals of the key board arranged in one lineand the other ports arranged in another line, the ports of the two linesbeing relatively staggered, a winding-on roll with its K axis in asubstantially vertical plane at one side of the tracker bar, aperforated music sheet movable horizontally and having perforationsarranged so as to bear the same relation to one another as the notesrepre` sented bear to each other aud to the lines and spaces of themusical staff, and bearings for the music roll with their axes in asubstantially vertical plane at the other side of the tracker bar.

This specification signed and witnessed this 30th day of October A. D.,1914.

ERNEST R. HUNTER. Signed in the presence ofw- FRANK C. DAvis, VILLIAM L.Hock.

Copies 'of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

